New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg may prefer "No Labels" but in his case, I think "gun grabber" is a pretty fitting one. As part of his misguided crusade to tighten up gun laws nationally, The New York Times reports that Hizzoner sent undercover cops to gun shows in Arizona and found they were violating the law:

In two instances, the New York undercover officers specifically said before buying a gun, “I probably couldn’t pass a background check,” but were still sold guns, city officials said.

In a third case, an investigator bought a Glock pistol and two high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Tucson shooting. Such purchases were made without any background check but were perfectly legal.

Mr. Bloomberg’s office, which will release details of the undercover investigation on Monday, has for years pushed for tighter firearms laws. Since the Tucson shooting, Mr. Bloomberg has enlisted in his effort Daniel Hernandez, an intern in the office of Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. The congresswoman was the most seriously wounded, and Mr. Hernandez held her until emergency personnel arrived.

While some shady things might have occurred at the gun show and the authorities should be made aware of the problem, I can't help but find New York's investigation very unseemly. Aside from gun shows in Arizona, you know where you can readily buy a illegal firearms without a background check? The streets of New York.

Bloomberg should probably keep his undercover officers dedicated to preventing crime in his own city, where the homicide rate is markedly higher than the state of Arizona.

kurtaxis

Undoubtedly you can buy illegal guns in NYC, I think the argument that Bloomberg is trying to make is that those who purchase them legally in places like Arizona will then sell them for a profit in places like NYC that compromises the second amendment of the constitution.

kurtaxis

Why would they do that? Checking out the border does not jive with their limited issue oriented agenda. Sure there is a claim for looking into the "safety" of Americans by challenging the constitution but how does protecting the boarders help undermine the constitution like gun ownership?

Those clowns claim they want to protect the public from crime, and we see how that has worked out for them. But they also claim that if the public has guns, then it will be the wild west with vigilantes running around having shootouts all over the place. Well, if that were the case, then they need to explain why that isn't the case in Arizona, especially with the border issue.

If what they claim were actually true, gun-slinging vigilantes, then the residents of Arizona would be crowded at the border with their side arms drawn, gunning down any lawbreakers or intruders on sight. But that's not the case, even though Arizona has open-carry with no permit. Where are all those armed citizens running aroung killing people? Where are the duels in the middle of streets at high noon? They only exist in the minds of the anti-gun lobby and used as a fear tactic.

The mentality of the anti-anything lobby is that the public isn't responsible, and can't be trusted to obey the law, and that government must take care of the citizens because they claim the citizens can't fend for themselves. I understand that mentality to be socialism. Last time I checked, America is still a republic.

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"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJB)

The mindset of a crazy billionaire mayor--sending cops to AZ (2400 miles)-- to investigate something that they already know.

He's determined to make headlines, to get browny points, Bloomy-the big I am, searching for entry into the big dogs club-NWO.. PUBLICITY STUNT........ Why didn't Bloomy send his team of suklings to the streets of NYC..

He's determined to make headlines, to get browny points, Bloomy-the big I am, searching for entry into the big dogs club-NWO.. PUBLICITY STUNT........Why didn't Bloomy send his team of suklings to the streets of NYC..

That is the charge the Crossroads of the West gun show is leveling at Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

New York investigators conducted a sting operation at the Phoenix, Arizona show and videotaped a number of gun sale transactions. The sales were made without background checks, which is perfectly legal according to laws applicable to such shows, however, in at least two cases, the sales were processed even after the prospective buyer informed the dealers that passing a background check might prove problematic (Los Angeles Times). Those sales should never have been completed.

Mayor Bloomberg shared the video footage with the media on Monday, and shared his frustrations over such sales. The mayor has long contended that while those illegal transactions might happen out of state, many of those illegally purchased guns wind up in New York and specifically the city.

Robert Templeton, president of the show, issued a statement on behalf of Crossroads of the West, asserting that Mayor Bloomberg was completely out of bounds sending a task force into Arizona and was completely outside his jurisdiction, "[t]hese forays into America's heartland committing blatant acts to entrap otherwise innocent gun owners is an unlawful scheme." Templeton insists that federal and state law enforcement agents regularly inspect the gun show to ensure all transactions are legal.

They could have people in on this staged event to make it look like people from NYC fly down to Arizona and buy weapons. They can go to places much closer like New Hampshire, Vermont or Maine.

Bloomberg is using the tragedy of Congresswoman Giffords incident to grandstand. He should be knocked right off his pedestal and charged with conspiring to buy guns and transport them out-of-state (interstate commerce laws).

If criminals want weapons they do not go to gun shows!!!

Bloomberg has no authority whatsoever to do this--he is a freakin' mayor for goodness sakes!!!

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"Logic is an enemy and truth is a menace." ~ Rod Serling"Cops today are nothing but an armed tax collector" ~ Frank Serpico"To be normal, to drink Coca-Cola and eat Kentucky Fried Chicken is to be in a conspiracy against yourself.""People that don't want to make waves sit in stagnant waters."

Yeah, there's a lot of glory hounds in this world always trying to draw attention to themselves with their "me-me-me" attitudes. Some people have absolutely no shame. Bloomberg is doing his city an injustice by blaming others for his shortcomings.

Especially since he had these stings planned all across america and at what cost to his taxpayers. He didn't give any heads up to the precious ATF who may have had ongoing investigations. He was far, far out of bounds on this one. This rogue mentality is going to be contagious throughout the nation. We are in serious trouble.

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"BEAT THEM BY NEVER JOINING THEM"~ No2NWORise and rise again, until lambs become lions.

As for his opinion on Arizona gun laws, it's none of his business. Last time I checked he lived somewhere NOT in AZ.

If he has such a problem with Arizona, then he needs to go to Montana and complain about their gun manufacturing laws. But not a peep about them is there?

Besides he's spinning it to sound like guns are being sold illegally all over the place, when they aren't. They even try to show gun caches confiscated in drug busts and they always say the guns were headed to Mexico to arm the drug lords. Now why in the world would they come to the US for guns when they can get them far easier elsewhere in some third world country? It's absurd they'd come here and legally buy guns at full retail price at gun shows, then take them back across the border. Unless they got contacts that look the other way here. Of course proper immigration laws applied would stop that. See how it keeps pointing back to the federal government? The state would defend it's own border with Mexico if the federal government wasn't getting in the way stopping them.

For handguns, there's no background checks, waiting periods, permits or licenses required. If you buy a handgun at a gun shop, they register the gun, that's it. They don't do the same at gun shows, legally. And it's even less for long guns. They give you a sales receipt when you buy rifles! And you can legally strap that hand gun to your hip and walk right out, legally. That is Arizona law, and that is the problem the feds have with Arizona citizens.

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"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJB)

NYC COPS have no authority to investigate as officers in other states nor can they purchase handguns outside of NY State. They committed felonies and should be prosecuted.Arrest warrants should be issued immediately for them and for Bloomberg who clearly conspired to violate federal law. Bloomberg pulled this in Georgia a few years ago and the BATFE Director sent a letter to NYC telling them it was a violation of federal law and to stop immediately.

I guess Bloomberg feels he and his local COPS don't have to worry about being prosecuted for violating federal law as long as Obama is in the White House.

Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post disputes Horne's characterization of New York City's crime and says the sting was carried out by Arizona-based private investigators, not city police.

And that to me says that they knew full well what they were doing was suspect at best, so I'm sure NY City lawyers said they needed to hire a local private company to skirt the law. I guess their lawyers forgot to tell them there just might be a constitutional issue with one governor investigating crime in another state without notifying the investigated state's government. That's a total slap in the face of Arizona's governor.

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"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJB)

And that to me says that they knew full well what they were doing was suspect at best, so I'm sure NY City lawyers said they needed to hire a local private company to skirt the law. I guess their lawyers forgot to tell them there just might be a constitutional issue with one governor investigating crime in another state without notifying the investigated state's government. That's a total slap in the face of Arizona's governor.

Bloomberg is a Mayor! The Mayor of NYC not Tombstone!!

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"Logic is an enemy and truth is a menace." ~ Rod Serling"Cops today are nothing but an armed tax collector" ~ Frank Serpico"To be normal, to drink Coca-Cola and eat Kentucky Fried Chicken is to be in a conspiracy against yourself.""People that don't want to make waves sit in stagnant waters."

When entering the gun show, you are explicitly advised not to film or take pictures of the show as they have a strict no cameras policy. Since Bloomberg's "sting" was NOT under his jurisdiction, he had illegally "wiretapped" this transaction.

Not the first time he did it either, he sent undercover to some local gun shops here in coastal Georgia at one point. This is the result: (THIS is probably why you cannot photograph or film at the gunshows now) Note the date.

15 Gun Dealers in Five States Are Named in Federal Lawsuit Following Sting Operation

Lawsuit Follows Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City Commitment to Cross State Borders To Fight the Flow of Illegal Guns into the City

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, joined by Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt, today announced that New York City has filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York against 15 gun dealers identified as selling firearms in violation of federal law. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief intended to halt the dealers’ illegal practices, and to recover money damages. The 15 gun dealers named in the lawsuit are located in five states – Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia – and were targeted because of the large number of guns that have been traced back to them following crimes committed in New York City. Based only on the incomplete data available to the City, more than 500 crime guns recovered by the New York City Police Department have been traced to these 15 gun dealers between 1994 and 2001. In his January State of the City speech, Mayor Bloomberg pledged to target dealers who sell guns illegally and hold them accountable for their actions.

“Today, we are sending a clear message to rogue gun dealers across the nation: straighten up and follow the law – or face the consequences,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We can’t afford to allow out-of-state dealers to sell illegally – too many people die every year because they do. This lawsuit is major step forward in our efforts to keep illegal guns out of our City. By and large, most gun dealers respect and follow the law, but the small group of dealers that do not should be held accountable – not protected by the disastrous legislation being considered in Congress. It’s time to hold these dealers responsible for their illegal actions – and that’s exactly what this lawsuit intends to do.”

“The gun dealers named in this lawsuit have sold guns in violation of a number of federal and state statutes, and the lawsuit asks the Court to prohibit these illegal gun sales, appoint a special master to monitor the dealers, and require sellers to submit to mandatory training,” said Corporation Counsel Cardozo. “The lawsuit also seeks compensation for the cost of abating the nuisance created by these defendants, compensatory damages toNew York City, and punitive damages in order to deter other rogue dealers from engaging in the illegal practices described in the complaint.”

Over the past six weeks, investigators from the James Mintz Group, a private investigative firm employed by the City, traveled to five states to confirm what gun trace data had already shown probable – that these gun dealers were violating federal laws governing firearms sales. The investigators, in teams of two, entered gun stores and followed a scenario commonly known as “straw purchasing” – where one individual makes all of the inquiries into purchasing the gun, and then the other individual, completely uninvolved in the sale process, fills out the required federal forms to pass the background check. Federal law prohibits licensed dealers from selling firearms to individuals when they have a reasonable belief that the firearm being sold is not for the person who purports to be the purchaser. A 2002 U.S. Department of Justice publication describes “straw purchasing” as follows:

“Straw purchases are one of the most frequent methods used to divert firearms out of lawful commerce, where they are a heavily regulated commodity, and onto the street, where they are available to anyone. Convicted felons will simply use a friend, a family member or a girlfriend to buy a gun for them. The felon provides the money for the gun, selects the gun, and directs the purchase. The straw purchaser just fills out all the required paperwork, posing as the buyer.”

All 15 dealers named in the suit sold a gun to a team of undercover investigators, who wore hidden cameras during their sting operations. Of the stores that they visited, one-in-three dealers refused the sale, confirming the fact that dealers know and understand the law. Even in the face of obvious “red lights” that should have immediately ended the discussion between dealer and customer, including that the straw purchaser did not participate in the transaction until the time came to fill out the federal forms and did not pay for the gun, two-thirds of the targeted dealers sold to the straw purchaser.

“These gun dealers are the worst of the worst,” said Criminal Justice Coordinator Feinblatt. “They represent a small group of immoral and irresponsible dealers who are knowingly breaking the law and causing irreparable harm to innocent New Yorkers. When it comes to this group of bad apples, we will be relentless. It is our duty to make sure that they no longer get a free pass for the terrible human cost they inflict on our City.”

“Too many New York City police officers have paid with their lives to allow flagrant straw purchases to continue unchallenged,” said Police CommissionerRaymond W. Kelly.

The law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman will field a team of ten pro-bono litigators to appear on behalf of the City and assist in the litigation.

“This litigation has the potential to improve the safety and security of every New Yorker, by helping staunch the flow of illegal guns into the city,” said Ken Taber, chair of the New York litigation group of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

Mayor Bloomberg is using a comprehensive three-pronged approach of stronger enforcement, new legislation and innovative litigation to combat illegal guns. Enforcement efforts include creating specialized Gun Courts, which have resulted in longer sentences for gun offenders, working to introduce gun shot detection cameras that will discourage the use and possession of illegal guns, and establishing a “debriefing” protocol for every felony gun defendant, which is helping law enforcement agencies learn more about the identities of gun traffickers. The Mayor is also seeking new City and State legislation to close loopholes and increase penalties for illegal guns, and to require gun dealers to do more to protect against lost and stolen guns.

The Mayor is also actively opposing federal legislation that would protect irresponsible gun dealers by limiting access to trace data and preventing law enforcement agencies from holding them fully accountable. Recognizing that illegal guns are a national problem requiring national leadership, Mayor Bloomberg, together with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, recently hosted a Mayors’ Summit on Illegal Guns that was attended by more than a dozen mayors from across the nation, from Seattle to Dallas to Philadelphia. The nonpartisan group of mayors discussed cutting-edge policing and legal strategies, identified opportunities for greater coordination in combating the flow of illegal guns, and signed a statement of principles to guide their efforts going forward.

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The resistance starts here. Unfortunately, the entire thing is moving beyond the intellectual infowar. I vow I will not make an overt rush at violent authority, until authority makes it's violent rush at me and you. I will not falter, I will not die in this course. For that is how they win.

Oops, I did mistakenly suggest he's a governor. He's a mayor, though he acts like the governor.

No problem. I also think he mistakenly thinks he is a dictator.

That aside, even 'if' he were governor he would not have the authority to do what he did anyway!

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"Logic is an enemy and truth is a menace." ~ Rod Serling"Cops today are nothing but an armed tax collector" ~ Frank Serpico"To be normal, to drink Coca-Cola and eat Kentucky Fried Chicken is to be in a conspiracy against yourself.""People that don't want to make waves sit in stagnant waters."